


Frustrating Mornings

by GallifreyanOmnishambles



Series: The Knight's Prize Is The Emperor's Gift [3]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Kylo is less helpful, M/M, Medical Examination, Mitaka is helpful, Morning Sickness, Mpreg, Pregnancy, Trans Character, Vomiting, technically, trans!hux, ultrasound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-26 03:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6221161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanOmnishambles/pseuds/GallifreyanOmnishambles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eight weeks after the events of A Trying Day, Hux finds himself struggling with some of the realities of his condition.</p><p> </p>
            </blockquote>





	Frustrating Mornings

**Author's Note:**

> Emetophobia sufferers might want to skip to the first set of dashes as there is depiction of morning sickness before that point.

After the success of the Hosnian Campaign, if a single shot could be called a campaign, Hux had ordered a second round of construction on Starkiller Base. Accommodations had been added, the facilities improved. One such improvement was the addition of a private office for himself just off the Command Centre. Built into the side of the hill it boasted camouflaged floor to ceiling windows, brilliant views and a private dressing area with its own head. Technically there was a communal head just down the hall, but, as the highest ranking official in the Order, he rated his own bathroom. Some times it came in handy. Like now, when he sat slumped on the floor with his face pressed against the cold tiles of the wall.

The nausea had crept up on him over the last few weeks. At first it had been a little like motion sickness- even when he sat still the room seemed to move slightly, causing his stomach to clench. It was uncomfortable and he had less appetite but he hadn't actually vomited yet. He could survive that. 

But just as he entered the seventh week of his pregnancy the base's cooks had announced a special treat- it was fishing season and the external patrols had caught so many of the local fish that there was enough to give everyone a serving of kedgeree. Hux had never tried it, but understood it to be a popular smoked and curried breakfast dish on Coruscant. He'd made it three steps into the officers mess before the smell had been too much. Later- much later, when she felt safe that she wouldn't be court marshalled for insubordination- Phasma had informed him that he had literally turned green from the neck up, like his face was a glass being filled with swamp water. He'd felt rather like that, turning suddenly hot then cold by turns. He'd made it to the large communal head, managing to get into a stall before he emptied his stomach, but he knew he'd been seen. There had been whispers amongst the officers at the hand sanitising stations. He'd waited twenty minutes, almost up to the start of his shift before the space had been quiet enough for him to leave. The next morning he'd at least been able to take a seat and start on his caf before the same wave of nausea had sent him scurrying back out of the room. 

Ren had not helped. Whilst Bren had become used to private breakfasts in his quarters with Kylo Ren, the Knight has insisting on being seen in public. He wanted to be noticed sitting besides Hux, without his helmet, in the mess halls or walking the corridors before their shift began. An aim that was hindered by the General's inability to stay in any room containing food. According to Mitaka, Kylo responded to his absence by eating both their breakfasts. 

After five days of failed social mornings and humiliating dashes through the corridors, Hux had elected to take his breakfasts in his office. That was how he had ended up on the floor of his private bathroom. He'd walked in, been assaulted by the usually inoffensive smell of hot porridge, and had immediately thrown the whole lot into the toilet bowl untouched. There were only seconds between the flush stopping and his last evening meal taking the same route. Exhausted, he'd sat on the tiled floor leaning hard into the wall, willing the cold against his face and back to stop the room from spinning. He felt weirdly warm and his stomach still insisted there was something left to regurgitate. Whilst he had been warned to expect this, that it was normal, it could not be permitted to continue. There had to be some kind of medication that could help him. The leader of the First Order could not be brought low like this. 

There was a gentle tread across the tiles in the main office, the sound of ceramics being settled on the desk and the footsteps withdrew again. As Hux headed gingerly to investigate, the first thing he smelled was the Dopheld Mitaka's rather distinctive aftershave. The second was the cup of steaming spice root tea on the desk by his chair, sitting next to plate of plain salt crackers. The tea smelled vaguely familiar but the crackers he knew from their childhood in the exile ships. The nostalgic memory of licking salt grains from sticky fingertips as they ran through the engineering section had Hux reaching for them instantly, the first thing he's felt compelled to eat in weeks. The plate emptied within minutes. The tea was strong, but the spice root soothed his abused throat and somehow settled his stomach completely. He could face the day again, perhaps he could hold off going to medical a few weeks longer.

He lasted another three days. The tea, which Mitaka brought to him throughout his shift without being asked, helped and the crackers were at least one thing he could eat whilst he waited for his stomach to settle itself towards the evening, but his body still _had_ to be sick. The tea made him feel more comfortable after the first wave of vomiting and prevented any more but if he tried to drink it as soon as he awoke it simply burned his throat on its way back up.

Ren had found him on the bathroom floor close to tears with rage and frustration that his body was doing this to him. He had insisted that they go to medical, to check that this truly was normal and to obtain an antiemetic before Bren took his anger out on the universe.

\-----

As General it was only right and proper that Hux receive his medical care from the senior doctor on base. The man had not performed the surgery to remove Bren's implants, that had been a specialist brought in from Home World, but he was more than competent enough to handle a process that billions of beings went through every year. Surely? 

Kylo had gone ahead of Hux to make sure the medical centre was as empty as the current logs had suggested it would be, four stormtroopers positioned by the doors to keep any newcomers out. When the General had followed the Knight in a few minutes later it was the find the doctor smiling at the masked man in a distinctly patronising and supercilious fashion. 

"You're not pregnant." The doctor said, by way of greeting, hardly even glancing at Hux. "I don't know what lies this fraud has been feeding you but there's no way you've already conceived only twelve weeks after your procedure."

Hux narrowed his eyes, his expression twisting into the repressed sneer he so often wore on the Finalizer bridge during battles. Kylo referred to it as his "how dare you" face. 

"I beg your pardon?" Hux spat, tone dripping with ice.

"You're probably having some reaction to your newly unregulated hormones. They do all kinds of unexpected things. Irrationality is common."

"The child implanted eight weeks and two days ago." Kylo said flatly whilst Hux ground his teeth, inhaling sharply through flared nostrils. "This is not an irrational reaction to hormones or anything else. It is pregnancy sickness and you will treat it."

The doctor snorted. Hux didn't need Kylo's mind tricks to see what was happening here. This man had always been respectful during Bren's yearly fitness tests but the General rarely had any reason to attend medical on Starkiller. He did not take part in combat and had rarely been injured in the line of duty. The few injuries he had suffered had been aboard the Finalizer and this doctor had never served on this flag ship. He didn't know Hux, and now he was treating him like some silly society bride with no concept of what the General could do to him. Clearly this doctor thought very little of a First Order General stooping so low as to willing carry the child of a Knight of Ren.

"Look, the best I can do is a urine test and an internal examination to prove you're not pregnant." The doctor said turning to give Hux a look that was half condescension and half pity. "I'm not issuing drugs for psychosomatic symptoms."

"No." Bren pulled himself up to his not inconsiderable height- he might be smaller than Kylo or Phasma but he still bested most of the crew. "No internal exams. Kylo Ren is more than capable of monitoring my condition. A urine test is unnecessary, I have had no bleeding since the implantation bleed, I know I am pregnant."

"Or you just haven't had any bleeding because it's only been twelve weeks since your implants were removed." The doctor argued, clearly forgetting who he was speaking to with that dismissive, insulting tone. "You. Are. Delusional."

"Ren!" Hux snapped turning his back on the doctor. "Two troopers, in here, now."

Kylo strode to the door, his gait displaying the rage his mask was hiding. The armoured troops in the corridor flinched when he snatched the door open. "You and you. With me."

Turning towards them with his sneer firmly in place, Hux directed the troopers toward the doctor. "Remove him. Reeducation."

The doctor looked around, eyes wide. "This is ludicrous, you foo..." 

As if questioning Hux private wasn't insult enough, this cretin dared to speak to him like that in front of the crew. From the corner of his eye he saw Kylo reaching towards his belt, but the Knight wasn't fast enough. The General's fist connected with the Doctor's nose and cheek with a crunch and spray of blood that suggested that at least the cartilage, if not the nasal bone itself, was broken. Hux turned and stalked towards the medical centre's internal corridors, looking for the office that should contain the second in command. 

"Put him on suicide watch," he said over his shoulder as he walked, "clearly this assignment has been too comfortable. Where he goes next will be precisely the opposite."

The sound of the man's frantic attempts to free himself faded as Hux moved further into the warren of corridors. Eventually he spotted a door with a name plate he recognised. Seated at the desk, clearly surprised at the unannounced arrive of the third most powerful man in the Order, sat a large muscular woman. Doctor Kado was a sparring partner of Phasma and had previously served on board the Finalizer. 

"You are second in command of the medical centre, yes?" Hux snapped.

"Yes, Sir," she said, standing and bowing slightly. "Oh, Sir, you're bleeding." 

Bren glanced at his hand. "Not my blood." He said distractedly, removing a cloth from one of his greatcoat pockets. "Congratulations, you're now in command of this facility."

"May I ask where Doctor Rees is, Sir?"

"No longer here. Are you familiar with maternity medicine?"

"Yes, Sir. It was a specialisation of mine." She replied, eyes wide. Hux really should have placed himself in her care to begin with instead of letting snobbery inform his choices.

"You have fifteen minutes to read my file Doctor." Bren said turning back the way he'd come. "We'll wait for you in the main treatment area."

\-----

Hux sat on the edge of an exam bed, flexing his fingers. Not the best punch he'd ever delivered. Sloppy. He needed more practice. There was the soft hiss of Ren removing his helmet above him.

"You don't think that was exces..." He started.

"I love you," Kylo sighed, cutting him off. Glancing up Bren saw that the man's face was flushed and he was licking his lips as his eyes followed the movement of the bloody cloth over the General's knuckles.

That was... unexpected. Hux raised an eyebrow, utterly unsure how to respond. That was not how they spoke to one another. Insults and recriminations, yes. Praise of physical features or performance, professional or otherwise, yes. This. No. Of course he was sitting here, half humiliated and half enraged precisely because he cared enough for this strange man to allow his child to grow within him but... Could he actually say that with such casual ease? The moment dragged. 

"I know," was all Hux could manage, blushing and staring intently at his hands. He didn't see the brief flicker in Ren's eyes before the twisted little smile returned. 

"Where are you sending him?" He asked with a deep chuckle.

"I've no idea," Hux admitted. "I just wanted to scare him. I'll find somewhere suitably unpleasant and unsurvivable."

The conversation was put on hold as the click of the doctor's boots signalled her arrival. She still had five minutes left to the time Bren had allowed her.

"General Hux. Lord Ren." She said, shaking each man's hand in turn. This woman had treated Kylo's wounds before, and as well as the other Knights. She did not react to his youthful expressive face, other than to smile brightly at it. "I've read your file. I assume you're here because you believe you've been successful? The notes mention an agreed six months wait before any outside intervention."

"Yes," Kylo answered, Hux staying focused on his hand, which had been more than clean for quite some time. "The General is eight weeks and two days pregnant."

"That's very specific."

"There was an implantation bleed." Ren said, then flexed his hand. "And the Force allows me to feel it. It IS there."

"I believe you, Sir," she said with a grin, "I've seen enough of your powers to know you're capable of anything. Though if you could resist tearing my fascilities apart this time I'd appreciate it."

"Good. Doctor Rees was less accommodating."

"The General told me he was no longer here. He will not be missed." Kado replied, her smile turning malicious.

"The General, however," Bren growled with irritation, " _IS_ here and would appreciate not being spoke of as if he were an inanimate object."

"Sorry, Sir," she said with a nervous bow. "How would you like to proceed then, Sir?"

"I need assistance with the sickness, it is interfering with my duties."

"Ok, Sir." She nodded. "I assume you do not want any unnecessary exams, and whilst I am happy to trust your... Lord Ren's assessments, I will need to take some blood and perform a scan. There's no need to remove anything other than your coat, jacket and belt. I cannot see what Lord Ren can see and it would be remiss of me not to have a clear view of your progress that can be kept on record for later reference. Is that acceptable?"

It was. Hux removed the necessary items, having sent Ren to check with the two remaining stormtroopers that they would not be interrupted, and settled in for the blood tests. Several vials later the doctor placed a small droid on the bed. In a slightly disturbing animal-like fashion, it climbed onto Bren's stomach and after a few seconds of shifting, it settled into place. 

"This device can show a holographic projection or I can keep it on my pad. Do you want to see?" Kado asked gently.

Staring at the ceiling for a moment Bren shook his head. 

"Do you mind if Lord Ren can see?"

"It's his child. He can do what he likes."

"Of course." The doctor said with a nod, leading Kylo further down the room before activating the scan with a tap at her pad. Hux continued to stare at the ceiling, trying to think of the worst possible place to send Doctor Rees.

"Ah... Lord Ren, you said eight weeks? What was that date calculated from?" The doctor asked in a murmur.

"The implantation date."

"That's not how we calculate these things, my Lord. Do you know if the General had a period before then?"

"He didn't."

"Hmmmm. Give me a minute or two please. You can keep the pad for now."

Glancing toward he end of the bed Hux could see Kylo running his fingers just above the surface of the pad. He was grinning. Hux closed his eyes.

"Good news, Sir," the doctor said, making him jump. He must have dozed off. Sitting up slightly he dislodged the droid from its position against his undershirt. It beeped indignantly as it skittered away. "You're actually further along than expected. Eleven weeks by our method of counting. So you're already over a quarter of the way there."

"It's..."

"Completely healthy," Kylo reassured him, "just like I said." The Knight was sliding something into his pocket. Hux suspected it was some kind of copy of the scan. 

"I'm going to prescribe you an antiemetic to been taken at night before bed." The doctor continued, reaching into a large cabinet. "That should reduce your morning discomfort. However I want you to skip your dose the evening before any days that you're off duty. Generally speaking the sickness should be reducing soon anyway. If you find that you feel fine on a day when you haven't taken it, try to go without as it may no longer be required. I'd rather you have as little interference as possible as it will reduce the need to monitor you. If the sickness worsens or begins to occur throughout the day- please contact me immediately."

Hux nodded, accepting the small bottle of tabs as he refastened his jacket. 

"May I have permission to check your family records, Sir?" The doctor asked, clearing away the last of the equipment. Hux nodded. "Thank you. I'd like to repeat this procedure in nine weeks, shall I schedule an appointment? I can label it as a routine health check."

"Thank you, Doctor." Settling his coat back around his shoulders Hux swept out of the medical centre, dismissing the two remaining stormtroopers as he passed. After a few moments Ren caught up, his helmet back in place.

"General Hux, Sir!" A nervous young Corporal called as he ran up the corridors towards them. "Lieutenant General Tarkin of the Rectifier is on the comm- there's been a Resistance incursion into our territory, Sir, they're trying to take back the Adarian system, Sir. She's requesting assistance from the Finalizer, Sir."

"Have the comms routed to my personal shuttle, Corporal." Hux said, turning on his heel to take a side corridor. "I'll deal with this myself."

"Shall I summon my Knights, General?" Ren asked, stalking quickly after him as the Corporal darted back towards the Command Centre.

"Yes, Ren, why not?" Hux said with a grin. He looked happier than he had in days. "The Resistance usually relies on relatively small forces so there's likely to be ground combat. I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the fun."

Kylo was glad of the mask obscuring his features. He seriously doubted that his expression right now could be described as dignified. He'd given up the struggle to stop grinning around the time Hux had broken that awful man's face. He hadn't meant to say what he said, though he absolutely meant it. It was just that Hux always was at his most handsome when he was in a fighting mood. The blood on his hands had made Ren weak. Kylo was looking forward to watching Hux back on the bridge of his flagship, bringing terror to the hearts of the Resistance. 

His hand brushed the data chip in his pocket. He could look at the 3D projection of their child after the battle. For now it was enough to see the most powerful man in his universe striding ahead of him, preparing to assert his will over the Galaxy.


End file.
